Archived: St Luke's Care

Updated 11 November 2014

The inspection was carried out by one inspector. We visited the service’s office on 16 July 2014 and contacted five people who used the service.

We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR) and previous inspection reports before the inspection. The PIR was information given to us by the provider and contained some key information about the service. This enabled us to ensure we were addressing potential areas of concern.  We also reviewed the information we held about the service and notifications we had received.  A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. At our last inspection in February 2014 we did not identify any concerns.

During the inspection we spoke with five people who used the service, three relatives, the registered manager and six members of staff, which included two team leaders. We also contacted one social worker and one district nurse who had supported people who used the service.

We looked at records which related to people’s individual care needs,  this comprised of seven office held files and three files brought in from people’s homes. We reviewed three staff files and looked at the policies and procedures associated with the running of the service.

This report was written during the testing phase of our new approach to regulating adult social care services. After this testing phase, inspection of consent to care and treatment, restraint, and practice under the MCA was moved from the key question ‘Is the service safe?’ to ‘Is the service effective?

The ratings for this location were awarded in October 2014. They can be directly compared with any other service we have rated since then, including in relation to consent, restraint, and the MCA under the ‘Effective’ section. Our written findings in relation to these topics, however, can be read in the ‘Is the service safe’ sections of this report.

Updated 11 November 2014

We carried out this announced  inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

St Luke’s Care provides domiciliary care services to adults of all ages within the Plymouth and South West Devon area. St Luke’s Care provides a home care service to meet people’s needs including physical disability, sensory impairments and mental health needs including people living with dementia. St Luke’s Care’s aim is to promote independence and maintain people’s quality of life. St Luke’s Care is part of a trading company established by St Luke’s hospice and is therefore  governed by a board of directors of St Luke’s Ventures Ltd.

St Luke’s Care provides domiciliary care for 16 people at present and has a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

On the day of the inspection staff within the office were relaxed and there was a calm and friendly atmosphere. Everybody had a clear role within the service. Information we requested was supplied promptly and records were clear, easy to follow and comprehensive.

People who used the service all spoke positively about the service they received, one person said “I sometimes think I don’t deserve how nice my carers are, if I could find a fault I would but I can’t.” Another stated: “I have been with a few care agencies around this area and St Luke’s is top of the tree, I feel very fortunate.”

People had their mental health and physical needs monitored. New care records had been designed and were in place. These were  person centred and  sought to give people who used the service a voice. Records were regularly reviewed to help the service respond quickly to people’s change in needs.

Staff described the management to be very open, supportive and approachable. Staff talked about their jobs in a strong positive manner. Comments included: “You can say anything you want to the management and be confident they will address it.”; “I get praised a lot and told how well I’m doing.”; “If I ever had to leave my job I would be very sad, I’m very proud to work for this company.” and “It’s amazing, I love it here, I have never worked in a place like it.”

New staff received a comprehensive induction programme. There were sufficient staff to meet needs and there was an emphasis on training to make sure their staff had the correct skills to carry out their roles effectively and efficiently.

All staff had undertaken training on safeguarding adults from abuse, they displayed good knowledge on how to report any concerns and described what action they would take to protect people against harm. Staff told us they felt confident any incidents or allegations would be fully investigated and the registered manager confirmed this. Staff and people who use the service all told us they felt safe whilst care was being delivered.

There were effective quality assurance systems in place. St Luke’s Care encouraged feedback from people, those who acted on their behalf and staff. A care satisfaction survey is conducted six monthly. This is used to help make improvements and ensure positive progress is made in the service they provide.